Vanca - elheartista

Sunday, February 12, 2017

A group of people decided to create and play an original variant of soccer (football). They were free to change or modify any rule that they liked, but once they made the final decision, they would abide by the rules.

So, they modified the rules a bit, but kept most of the original ones in place (including that of not touching the ball with their hands, except by the goalkeepers).

Now, while playing, to the surprise of everyone else, one of the men got the ball in his hands and proceeded to play as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing?!", the rest asked him.

"Well, weren't we free to do anything we liked, create and modify any rule we wanted?", the man replied.

The rest tried to change his mind, and to remind him that the rules were binding, but he insisted playing and modifying the rules on the go, as he saw fit.

Sunday, January 29, 2017

"A tax collector went to the beggar in the street and said to him: Tell me how much money did you make today and who paid you. I need to tax your money."

"Isn't it absurd?", the Master asked.

- - -

"Here", said the beggar to the rich man, "have some of my money..."

"You think that absurd? - what would you say then if the rich man eventually took the money?"

- - -

"A man had planned to open a business, wanting to start small. Eventually he found that he needed to pay much more that he would be potentially getting in five or ten years just to start his business and that he would be losing money every month to pay for insurance"

"He didn't start his business."

"Meanwhile, politicians and people were complaining about the increased unemployment."

"Isn't it absurd?", the Master asked.

- - -

A man spoke to another man:

"I will show you how in a democratic country the minority rules, one person over three others"

"How come?", replied the other.

"Well", continued the first, "in a recent election 40% did not vote and one party won with 40% of the vote, gaining enough votes to pass any law in the parliament. Thus they only won with the 40% of the 60%, that is, 25% or one in four."

"Hmm...", the second replied, pausing a bit, "but those who did not vote should have expected this. It's their own fault since they did not bother to go to vote."

"What if nobody represented them?", replied the first.

"They should have formed their own party", replied the other.

"Could be..", the first replied, "but that still does not change the fact".

"I can't understand you", the second said, bothered by the first still insisting on this issue, "What do you suggest, then?"

"Well, why don't they take random people who do not support any of the parties in the parliament, and let them vote as they please, rotating them every year?"

"That can't happen", the second replied, "It would be undemocratic! How and who can decide what men and women to choose? They would be not be elected by the free vote of the people!"

"That you can not solve this problem does not change the fact", the first replied.

Then the second man, seeing that the first was rather stupidly insisting on his first statement, without seemingly understanding how the system works, decided to leave him in peace and not bother with him anymore.

"Isn't it absurd?", the Master asked.

- - -

"Two brothers had a dispute and, instead of going to their father who was a wise judge, they presented their case to their common enemy."

Saturday, March 19, 2016

"The river flowed, wide and bountiful, its waters pure. Yet people did not go and take of its waters, though free. They preferred to pay for unclean water that even made them sick."

"Isn't it absurd?", the Master asked.

- - -

"The river flowed, wide and bountiful, its waters pure. Some went to the river with an empty bottle, its cap on. They tried and they tried but could not get any water. Some of them even thought the river was an illusion."

"Isn't it absurd?", the Master asked.

- - -

A certain village was organizing their yearly 'River Festival' and most of the people had gone to the feast near the old mill.

When the bridge had been built the river was larger and wider, but now, all that had remained of it was a small stream, and very dirty at that. This did not stop people from participating in the feast, though.

One of the men arose in the midst of the others and said:

"Hey, what are we doing here? The river was large and wide and pure, but now, all we've got is this little dirty stream. Certainly it has been blocked somewhere and deviated, either from branches, or from man's activity. Let's go and check, and let the river bless our village again!"

In fact, when the river was larger, the village mill drew power from the water, but now, they had to grind flour in a far away place, which was much expensive. Also, the water was clean, but now they had to get water from another distant place, which was again very expensive, and not as good.

Despite this, the people at the festival, starting with the elders, told the man:

"What are you saying? Why are you disrupting our festival? Why are you being disrespectful to the river?"

The man tried to change their mind, but they would not listen. They even threatened him with expulsion from their village.

So, the man decided to go and investigate for himself.

On traveling through another village upstream he saw some people drawing water with buckets from the same, but somewhat larger, dirty stream that was was in the place of the big river bed, and putting it in a small channel.

"What are you doing?", he asked them.

"We are taking water from the stream and putting it in the river", they replied.

"The river?! Where is the river?!", the man asked surprised.

"Here, this is the river", the men replied, and showed him the small channel.

They had in fact become so confused, that their watering channel had become their 'river'.

He left them, and, traveling through other villages, also realized that even that small stream had become polluted from the activities of men.

He continued his journey, went further up, until he saw a lake. Immediately he understood that this was the river, that it had been blocked from branches, and had been deviated by men's activities and various building projects.

Happy, he returned to his village, but nobody believed him.

Despite this, the man was not discouraged, but said to them:

"Let's go up the mountain, where the water is cleaner"

"Are you serious?", the others replied, "Do you want to take us out of civilization and live as barbarians?"

They threatened him again, but he did not care. He decided to wait for a while, and, if the river was not restored, go and live upstream.

Monday, March 14, 2016

In January (2016), my sister, Stela (http://starca.deviantart.com/), started her original (shojo/shoujo) manga series "Bota e Fantazise - The World of Fantasy", a fantasy/comedy story set in Albania, during the 80s.

This is avaailable through Amazon, both as paperback and Kindle edition